YouSaid · the spoken record

Padma Lakshmi

lines on the record: 30
first: 2026-02-03
most recent: 2026-02-03
sittings or episodes: 1
sources: podcast

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“Just have a conversation, and you know, an editor said this to me when I was writing my first book Don't think you're talking to everybody ever. Pick one person in your orbit that Someone you respect who's intelligent that you admire and speak to them. If you try to sort of speak to everybody, you're kind of, you know, then it becomes very performative.”
2026-02-03 · Masters of Scale · Padma Lakshmi’s secret to authentic leadership? Stop trying. · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“I am like I am on those videos whether the camera is on or off, which is different, obviously. That's a different version of me than you see on my television shows or in my op-eds for the Times or the Washington Post, you know. And it's also a different voice than is in my cookbooks or my children's book. So they're all different versions of me. But in my home, that's really what it's like. And I don't have the time or the bandwidth to concoct a different persona. You know, how can corporate leaders be more authentic? The only piece of advice I have for them, especially when they're doing media, you know, whether it's just an internal video or it's something public facing, try to do it without the camera on or try to do it when you don't know the camera's on and someone on your staff that you trust. Try not to be aware of being watched.”
2026-02-03 · Masters of Scale · Padma Lakshmi’s secret to authentic leadership? Stop trying. · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“You know, it was hard won that understanding that I now have because for so long, especially when I was still an actor, I tried so hard to figure out and be what any one person who could give me the job wanted me to be. I mean, it's inherent when you're an actor, I guess. I have now realized that there's a difference between trying to be authentic and just being authentic. One is conscious of an observer, of an audience. The other is not conscious of the self being observed. So, you know, obviously my videos are edited. They're also edited to protect my child and certain privacy issues in my home. But I”
2026-02-03 · Masters of Scale · Padma Lakshmi’s secret to authentic leadership? Stop trying. · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“I'm lucky, I'm very fortunate, and I know this to be able to make a living out of what naturally interests me. You know, I didn't get into food professionally until I was in my late 20s, you know, almost 30. And so I was a literature and theater major. You know, I was an actress. And then I made this change. Most of us spend most of our life at work. And so you've got to believe in what you're doing because work is hard regardless, even when you do. You know, there are very difficult days and that's why they call it work. So I think the more you can find a way to spend your time. Doing things guided by your principles. Happier one will be.”
2026-02-03 · Masters of Scale · Padma Lakshmi’s secret to authentic leadership? Stop trying. · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Their skills or resources. There's nothing that is more valuable. Between my child and that child in the Congo and Gaza, in Brazil. My child's blood is just as red as theirs. When we see each other that way, that will be a turning point. But this administration does not hold that belief at all.”
2026-02-03 · Masters of Scale · Padma Lakshmi’s secret to authentic leadership? Stop trying. · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Well, not that because I think people are intelligent enough to make the distinction between one man and his administration in office and the average American citizens. I meant it's too late for no matter what they do, what this administration does with ICE or Border Patrol or any of the other ways they're trying to impede the natural progression of what this country looks like They want a white America They do You know, they want only European descendants to be in this country. And it's too late. It's too late. Who's going to program your computers? Who's going to be your cardiac surgeon? Who's going to be, you know, and also the thing that is terrible, and I want to get away from this for a second, it's not only about what you can contribute to this country, okay? Person's worth should not only be based on”
2026-02-03 · Masters of Scale · Padma Lakshmi’s secret to authentic leadership? Stop trying. · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“That America had, in spite of its very questionable foreign policy for decades and decades, okay, we still had a lot of goodwill because we were that beacon on the hill. We were that shining light that said, listen, we don't care where you're from as long as your values align with American values, i.e. the Declaration of Independence, i.e. the Bill of Rights, i.e. the Constitution. You too have a fair shot in this country. And that is a beautiful sentiment, you know, that they're the only club there is what your efforts bring to the table or what your assets or resources, however you want to say it. That is a wonderful thing and very unique and something that I think every American can feel proud of. It's going to take decades to repair a lot of the damage that has been done. You know Too late. It's too late to go back to how it was.”
2026-02-03 · Masters of Scale · Padma Lakshmi’s secret to authentic leadership? Stop trying. · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“It's not just changing now. I remember having a book tour in India early 2017. And I felt like I was, you know, Trump's press secretary, excuse my language. Like people kept saying, what is going on? And, you know, so like all I could say was I'm so sorry. I kept apologizing and saying like, I'm so sorry I didn't vote for him on behalf of all Americans. We are sorry, you know, and those were such innocent times. But that was happening even 10 years ago. And I think it's a shame because we have squandered a lot of the goodwill.”
2026-02-03 · Masters of Scale · Padma Lakshmi’s secret to authentic leadership? Stop trying. · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“To be honest, I have not because I'm not in the news department. I personally think food is very political, but the show we are making is not at all political.”
2026-02-03 · Masters of Scale · Padma Lakshmi’s secret to authentic leadership? Stop trying. · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“I know that I turn some people who don't think like me off. I know that I cannot Incredibly be anyone but who I am. And I think that meaning into who I am. Has made me sleep better at night, but also has brought me a modicum of success that I feel I've earned. And so. Yes, of course. I'm afraid of losing business, but I'm more afraid of losing my soul.”
2026-02-03 · Masters of Scale · Padma Lakshmi’s secret to authentic leadership? Stop trying. · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“better through whatever skill you bring, whatever, however you contribute to the economy, to the educational system, to the medical system, or whatever. And I think it is very short-sighted of this administration. I mean, it's racist. It's, of course, it's racist, you know, let's just call a spade a spade. But it's also from a pragmatic view really stupid because First of all, I mean, you can just all you have to do is, you know, open your social media to see this farmer who voted for Trump crying about carrots in his field that cannot be harvested because all of the people are scared and have run away and not come to work. We can thank Trump for that. He can thank Trump for losing his family farm. And if anyone else wants to pick a fruit for that under those conditions, Conditions for that money they would have. They don't.”
2026-02-03 · Masters of Scale · Padma Lakshmi’s secret to authentic leadership? Stop trying. · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“I feel horrible. I feel horrible about all of it. It's unconscionable. It's unethical. It's immoral. It's antithetical to what this country has not only been about, but what makes it so unique and singular on the world stage. I mean, there's more migration today on Earth than there has been in the history of humankind. But America in particular is shaped and evolved into the superpower it is because of immigration, specifically because of immigration, because we are able to attract talent from around the world and with the promise of you can make your life here peacefully. And in turn, in exchange, make America”
2026-02-03 · Masters of Scale · Padma Lakshmi’s secret to authentic leadership? Stop trying. · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“You know, that if you want to know what real American food historically has been for 12,000 years before the Mayflower got here or whatever, you know, it is squash, beans, and corn. It is elk. It is sumac. It's not chicken and apple pie. Not one ingredient in apple pie is indigenous to North America, not even the apples. So I just wanted to make sure we called all of our influences and all of what makes this country amazing, not only food buys, but in general, to the table.”
2026-02-03 · Masters of Scale · Padma Lakshmi’s secret to authentic leadership? Stop trying. · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“I think I was frustrated by the narrative that, you know, only People of European descent were quote unquote real Americans because the real Americans you want to be purist about it and honest about it are people who are indigenous and part of the First Nations, you know. And if you look at the cover, it's me in front of the flag. But if you take off the jacket, there's a picture of me with Twila Casador, who is an Apache woman who lives on the San Carlos Reservation and taught me how to forage in the desert, which is something I'll never forget. But, I mean, I wanted to do something that was illustrative of our culinary landscape in this country.”
2026-02-03 · Masters of Scale · Padma Lakshmi’s secret to authentic leadership? Stop trying. · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“That job. I thought it would help my cookbook out a little. I thought I would give it a little boost that was kind of cool and, you know, when I started talking to Bravo, they were the network of actor studio. They were not the network of the housewives.”
2026-02-03 · Masters of Scale · Padma Lakshmi’s secret to authentic leadership? Stop trying. · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“I mean, I will tell you that I'm very concerned With how much food waste this country has. And that preys on my mind. And that's why, you know, even on our show, we tell them you don't have to make anything more than a tasting portion. I mean, there are times when we're testing for consistency where they had to make 100 plates or whatever. But those also, you know, go to my crew. And we told them, like, we're going to give you this food. So keep a little space in your tummy open. They were very happy to be able to taste the food. But I'm trying to do work that will outlast me. I'm trying to follow my own convictions and act accordingly and eke out a living by doing so. When I took top chef,”
2026-02-03 · Masters of Scale · Padma Lakshmi’s secret to authentic leadership? Stop trying. · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“I'm not trying to model anything. I am a workaholic. I get great satisfaction from what I do and like any good immigrant. I usually have, you know, two or three jobs at once. And as you can imagine, a responsibility like this show, it's a really big swing for me. You know, there were times when I was just tired. And so I didn't want to go into the office. And yes, I do take Zoom calls in my bed. But, you know, that comes also with confidence. I wouldn't have done that, you know, five years ago. Like I'm not talking to the head of the network in bed, although now if I did, she'd probably giggle at me. But as long as you get your work done and get it done to the highest standard possible, I don't care, you know?”
2026-02-03 · Masters of Scale · Padma Lakshmi’s secret to authentic leadership? Stop trying. · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Had conceptualized a show in great detail. I had all of the Ten Commandments before I ever got the green light for the show.”
2026-02-03 · Masters of Scale · Padma Lakshmi’s secret to authentic leadership? Stop trying. · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“I think the biggest thing that I wanted to make sure I did was be clear. You know, I think people respect someone with a very clear point of view and that they communicate that point of view to their crew. Like the worst thing is to be like, I don't know, what do you think when the art, when the head of the art department comes to you and says, how would you like this to look in an ideal world? You know, you need to know that. You need to have envisioned that. You can't be like, I don't know. What do you think? You know, before you ever start picking up a hammer or looking for locations, you have to see the show in your mind's eye. And because I had thought about it for a long time and because I had made sure that I, you know,”
2026-02-03 · Masters of Scale · Padma Lakshmi’s secret to authentic leadership? Stop trying. · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“It's not my vibe, you know? But I know what makes a good competition. I know what makes a good chef and I know I have a good palate to judge that.”
2026-02-03 · Masters of Scale · Padma Lakshmi’s secret to authentic leadership? Stop trying. · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Time where they're like sitting in a stew room, you know, arguing with each other, we don't make them live together. They're adults, you know, we're not sequestering them. We're not taking, you know, their phones away. Their families can come visit them. They're human beings. And I don't want to torture them. I want to support them. If they want to stay up all night and memorize LaRuse Gastronomique, that is on them.”
2026-02-03 · Masters of Scale · Padma Lakshmi’s secret to authentic leadership? Stop trying. · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Every world renowned chef would be proud to be on and that kitchen, I mean, I had so many different chefs come in, whether they were competing or judging, and you'll see them throughout the season, look around and be like, I would kill to have a kitchen like this in my restaurant. And that made me feel good. So, you know, more than the million dollars, I want people to want to win that cup because that cup means something. And it will mean something after people have seen our show. Our show is governed by the principles of fine dining and what makes a great chef great. You know, all of the things that they have to master meet, vegetables, sustainability, consistency, innovation, you know, science and tech, all of those things that a well-rounded world-renowned chef should master. Like there's no.”
2026-02-03 · Masters of Scale · Padma Lakshmi’s secret to authentic leadership? Stop trying. · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Yeah, I mean, you know, a million dollars is a big amount of money for anybody. So it brings out all kinds of chefs out of the woodwork that you would never think would even want to compete on TV. You know, everyone on that show on our show has a Michelin star or a James Reard nomination or a James Reardwin or Boku Store medal or, you know, on and on and on, you know, so we really beat the bushes. It was by invitation only you could not apply. I also, you know, wanted to make sure we canvassed the country well. And I know it is a show that every”
2026-02-03 · Masters of Scale · Padma Lakshmi’s secret to authentic leadership? Stop trying. · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Influenced cultures. So it is French technique that comes in there. But I wanted to give these chefs every toy, every weapon, every ingredient of the highest caliber so that they could do their best. I want like the Wimbledon of cooking. I want the Olympics of cooking. So if you're going to ask Serena Williams to come and play, you're not going to give her a shitty racket. You're not going to give her a court that is not as manicured as possible. And that's what I wanted to do for our chefs.”
2026-02-03 · Masters of Scale · Padma Lakshmi’s secret to authentic leadership? Stop trying. · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“I want it when every other show was zigging, I wanted to zag. Okay, I wanted to do a show that was purely about the pursuit of excellence. No tricks, no, you know, obstacles thrown in their way, no crappy equipment. I wanted to develop a show that, of course, was a success for my own professional ego and for the accomplishment of it. But more than a successful show, I wanted to create a new culinary institution. I wanted a Bokuz Door for America. You know, I didn't want us to always keep looking towards France. I wanted to create a new tradition in our country based on traditions that were born here in America of Fine Dining. Obviously, it's still a Western European”
2026-02-03 · Masters of Scale · Padma Lakshmi’s secret to authentic leadership? Stop trying. · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“I wouldn't use the word cutthroat. I would say I wanted when, you know, look, I thought that the genre needed an update, needed a refresh and a shakeup. You know, one of the reasons that I left the genre was because I was bored and I wanted to be stimulated like all of us, you know, when you do anything for too long. And so.”
2026-02-03 · Masters of Scale · Padma Lakshmi’s secret to authentic leadership? Stop trying. · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Topches as big as the nearest prize. I had a lot of support from CBS who really wanted this show. They really gave me carte blanche. I really appreciate the faith that they had in me and how they treated me like an autour, you know, and to have that mutual respect from someone who's heading as big an enterprise as CBS was life-changing.”
2026-02-03 · Masters of Scale · Padma Lakshmi’s secret to authentic leadership? Stop trying. · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Well, I mean, it is definitely a creative project. When I think of startup, I think of a tech company. And I mean, I love, I do have control over everything. I mean, I can't control what the chefs do. Obviously, once we start filming, but I do have a say in every aspect of the show down to wardrobe, down to what kind of salt we have in the pantry, what kind of lights we're using, all of it. You know, there's so much about this medium that, you know, I am not an expert in, right? Like, I don't know what lens to use. Is that an 80 or 200 or whatever, right? So then it's just about building a team, building your dream team. You know, I had a body of experience that prepared me for this project. And it's the biggest project I've ever done. You know, we had probably all told 350.”
2026-02-03 · Masters of Scale · Padma Lakshmi’s secret to authentic leadership? Stop trying. · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“I don't think of it as a startup because I'm not a startup person, I guess, but I do love the beginning stages of building a show. I find it very rewarding and stimulating. I think there's a certain excitement and energy when you're building something from scratch that is totally different from just being talent on a show. So I actually love the parts where I'm not on camera more, much more.”
2026-02-03 · Masters of Scale · Padma Lakshmi’s secret to authentic leadership? Stop trying. · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“No matter what they do, what this administration does with ICE or Border Patrol or any of the other ways they're trying to impede the natural progression of what this country looks like, they want a white America. They do. And it's too late. My child's blood is just as red as theirs. I know that I turn some people who don't think like me off. Yes, of course I'm afraid of losing business, but I'm more afraid of losing my soul.”
2026-02-03 · Masters of Scale · Padma Lakshmi’s secret to authentic leadership? Stop trying. · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT